Paris: French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced plans to suspend the controversial plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, in an attempt to preserve his fragile minority government and avoid a potential vote of no confidence.
The decision marks a significant shift for President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, which had championed the pension overhaul as a cornerstone of its economic reform agenda. The law, which triggered mass protests and political divisions last year, will now be shelved until after the 2027 presidential election.
Pension Reform Put on Hold
Speaking before the National Assembly, Lecornu said the government would suspend the 2023 pension reform “starting this autumn” and that “no increase in the retirement age will take place from now until January 2028.”
The move is intended to ease tensions with opposition parties, particularly the Socialists, who have insisted that suspending or repealing the reform is a condition for their support of the government.
Lecornu said the temporary halt would cost €400 million ($463 million) in 2026 and €1.8 billion in 2027, benefiting around 3.5 million French citizens. However, he warned that the measure must not deepen France’s fiscal deficit.
“It will therefore have to be financially compensated, including through cost-saving measures. It cannot be carried out at the expense of an increased deficit,” he told lawmakers.
EN DIRECT | Déclaration de politique générale du Premier ministre, Sébastien Lecornu, à l’Assemblée nationale. https://t.co/igbIx8qmbG
— Gouvernement (@gouvernementFR) October 14, 2025
Looming Confidence Votes
Lecornu’s announcement came ahead of two no-confidence motions scheduled for Thursday- one from the hard-left France Unbowed and another from the far-right National Rally. Neither party holds enough seats to topple the government alone, but the outcome could hinge on whether the Socialists and other opposition blocs decide to join forces.
The Socialist Party’s potential backing is now seen as critical to Lecornu’s survival. Analysts say the suspension of the pension reform is designed to win over centrist and left-leaning lawmakers who had been reluctant to support the government.
France’s mounting public debt and widening deficit remain key concerns for Lecornu’s administration. The deficit reached 5.8 percent of GDP last year, well above the EU’s 3 percent target, while public debt climbed to €3.346 trillion, equivalent to 114 percent of GDP, by early 2025.
Earlier in the day, Lecornu met with his cabinet to discuss the 2026 budget, pledging to bring the deficit below 5 percent and reinforce fiscal sovereignty. He outlined plans to cut red tape, curb social and tax fraud, introduce targeted tax relief for small and medium-sized enterprises, and impose special contributions on large corporations.
Importantly, Lecornu said he would not use constitutional powers to push the budget through parliament without a vote, as Macron’s previous governments had done. Instead, he vowed to seek consensus with lawmakers.
The pension reform, rammed through parliament in 2023 without a vote, sparked nationwide protests and months of unrest. The law gradually raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, prompting accusations that Macron had ignored public opposition.
